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64Tn CoxGREss I SENATE \ ^°^^l\^f 

^d ,'iession ) j No, 70i 



ENT 
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REPORT 

OF THl 

SOUTH CAROLINA BOLL WEEVIL COMMISSION 



Prepared by 

WALTER M. RIGGS 

PRESIDENT CLEMSON AGRICULTURAL COLLEC; 
OF SOUTH CAROLINA 




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V/ASMINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1917 



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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 312. 

By RIK. TIIJ.MAN. 



In the Sexa-ik ok the United States, 

February 2, 1917. 
Bcsolccd, That the manii£cri])t entitled '' Eeport of the South 
Carolina Boll Weevil Commission, lUilletin No. 20, of Clemson 
Agricultural College, of South Carolina," bo printed, Avith accom- 
panying illustrations, as a Senate document. 
Attest: 

James M. Bakek, 

SecTctary. 
2 



D. of D. 
MAR 8 1917 



FARMERS* READING COURSE. 

[KullL-tiuNo. 20.] 

Cli::\[son Afiiucui-TUKAL Coj^legf. of South Cvkolixa — The Exten- 
sion Division, in Coopekaiton amth the 1\\itki) S tai ks Depa-kt- 

IMENT of AgKICULTURE. 

AV. W. Lom;. Dir'ciur of llrhnaiiju. 

W. 1). Ilimtcr. ]5iireau KiitomoIcjU-y, W:ishiii;itoi3, 1). C, and J. A. 
Evaiw, Slates lvei:itioiis Service, WashiiioloiK 1>. ( "., ivpreseutiiig tlie 
United States Departmcjit of AjfrieiUture. 

A. C. Moore, professor of biology, C'oliunlfia, S. C,. representing 
the South C'aroHna University. 

Bright Williamson, Darlington. S. C, rej^resenting the Sonth 
Carolina Bankers' Association. 

15. F. Ta\'loi", secretary' Cotton Seed Crusliers' Association. Colum- 
bia, S. (\, representing the South Carolina Cotton Seed Crushers' 
Association. 

H. T. JNIorrison, president Farmers' Union. McClelbun ille, S. C, 
rejDresenting the State Farmers' Union. 

Joe Sparks, Cohnnbia, S. C, representing the South Carolina 
Press Association. 




Fig. 2. — Cotton boll ■weevil: «, P)i^<-tlo, from above; h. sanio, from side. Aboul fivo times 
natural siz^'. (Autlior'.s illiistratluu.) 

liErOKT OF THi: SOFTII CaR0L1.\.V BoI.L AVE1:\IL Cu.MMiS.'^lOX. 

rrepai-ed by \Y. M. IIigcs. 
KEPIJESENTING CIJ^VISON AGIilCULTUKAL (OEEEGF. 

Trustees: Richard I. Manning, governor, Columbia, S. C (cliair- 
man) ; Alan Johnstone, president of board, Newljerry, S. C. ; B. II. 
liawl, Chief Dairy Division, United States Department of Agricul- 
ture, Washington, D. C. 

Officers: W. M. Eiggs, president Clemson College, South Carolina ; 
J. N. Harper, dean agricultural department, Clemson College, Stnith 
Carolina; AV. W. Long, director extension, Clemson College, South 
Carolina ; A. F. Conradi, State entomologist, Clemson College, South 
Carolina. 



BOLL WEEVIL. 



PRELIMINARY STATEMENT. 

OKUANIZATIOX. 

At a meeting of the agriculturiil coinniittee of the lujard of trustees 
of Clemson College at Drainland in Jnly, 1010, a connnitteo of trustees 
and college officials was organized to visit the boll-wee\il section in 
order to give to the farmers of South Carolina hrst-hand impressions 
of conditions and to suggest methods of preparedness. Circumstances 
prevented this committee making its trip in the sunnner or fall 
of 1915. 

At a meeting of the agricultural committee at Clemson College, 
Jul}'', 1010, it was decided to enlarge the connnission by inviting 
State-wide organizations to furnish eacli a representative on the com- 
mission. An invitation was sent to the following organizations: 

The University of South Carolina. 

The State department of agriculture. 

The United States Department of Agriculture. 

The South Carolina Bankers' Association. 

The South Carolina Cotton Seed Crushers' Association. 

The South Carolina State Farmers' Union. 

The State Press Association. 

The personnel of the commission as finally constituted is shown 
on the preceding page, and includes in addition to the college ollicials 
the representatives of those organizations accepting tlie invitation of 
the agricultural committee. 

THE VISIT TO THE BOLL-WEEVlL TERKriOKY. 

The commission set out on its tri]) of ins]XM:'tion on Se{)tem];ei' 30. 
A. da}' was spent in Xew Orleans in consultation with merchants, 
cotton factors, bankers, and other business men. Six days were spent 
in traveling over the State of Louisian;i. One day was spent in 
jMississippi and one day in Alabama. 

Louisiana was selected as the principal field for investigation be- 
cause the boll weevil had been in that State long enough to per- 
manently affect its agricultural and economic conditions. Further- 
more, through the courtesy of Prof. W. R. Dodson, director of the 
Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, the commission was 
assured of exceptional advantages for its study of conditions. 

The itinerary of the commission included visits to typical boll- 
weevil sections, in some of which the raising of cotton has been prac- 

5 



G BOLL WEEVIL. 

tically abandoned and others in which fair crops of cotton are still 
being- produced. An inspection of the experimental laboratories of 
the United States Department of Agricidture at Tnlulah, La., and the 
accomj3anying field experiments near the same place was included in 
the commission's investigations. ]\Iost of the commission's time was 
spent in the open countr}^, and inany individuals of all classes and 
pursuits were interviewee!. The connnission sought by industry and 
the use of every available source of information in the territory vis- 
ited to JU'rive at conclusions at once conservative and accurate. 

TiiK Beookiia\]:x liEror/r. 

Oil October 7, the commission held a meeting at Brookhaven, Miss. 
After careful consideration of every word the following preliminary^ 
report was adopted: 

1. That the invasion of the State of South Carolina by tlio boll wee\ il within 
a year, and the general infestation of the State probably within three years, is 
a certainty. No means have yet been discovered that promise to check or pre- 
vent the advance of this insect pest. When it arrives it must be regarded as a 
permanent factor in our agriculture, to be dealt with accordingly. 

2. That wherever the boll weevil has become established the result has been 
agricultural and economic panic and resulting demoralization. Advances to 
farmers by banks and morehants on the cotton crop have been greatly curtailed, 
and values have been greatly depressed ; the negro labor has largely left the 

.country, and the cotton crop, the basis of credit and profit, has been, for the first 
few years at least, almost completely destroyed. Tiio result has been the loss of 
lands and homesteads by owners, inability by tenants to pay out, and a period 
of great poverty and distress among all classes of agricultural people. 

3. That it will be impossible to depend entirely as heretofore on the cotton 
crop, altl'iOugh some cotton of an early maturing variety may be successfully 
grown on soils especially adapted to quick growth under fi-eqiient and intensive 
cultivation. 

Given ample labor and fertilizers and favorable climatic conditions, a profit- 
able crop on reduced acreage may be made. With unfavorable season the boll 
weevil may destroy practically the entire crop. 

4. That to prepare for tlie coming of the boll weevil, merchants, bankers, and 
farmers should cooperate. Intelligent community action is necessary to prc- 
\ ent the disaster due to the initial panic following the first crop failure. 

Farmers should ])egin now to live at home, to cut down expenses, to get free 
of debt, and lay by a small capital to tide over the inevitable period of readjust- 
ment. Whenever practicable, the small fanner should have or obtain a milk 
cow and a brood sow, should plant a garden for the subsistence of the family, 
and practice upon a small scale th.e raising of substitute money crops, and 
should support and patronize tlie cooperative creameries and the packing houses 
at Orangeburg and Greenville, which enterprises are established to furnish the 
farmers of the State a ready market for dairy and meat products. 

The approaching problem should be explained to the negro labor, so that 
designing agents may not succeed in enticing it away. 

Merchants, cotton-oil manufacturers, and other business men should begin now 
to provide easy markets for these products that must in a large measure substi- 
tute the raising of cotton. 

5. That with the coming of the weevil the first consideration .should be to 
retain the labor on the farm aud to produce all possible food supplies at home. 
The people of all classes should be prepared to face with courage and faith a 
period of readjustment. At least one year must be lived with restricted credit, 
and this first year will be a very hard one unless provision has been made to 
meet it on some more stibstantial basis. 

In the case of owners, debt may mean a sacrifice of their holdings, for the 
l)asis of credit will be temporarily impaired by the depression of farm values. 

G. That to the merchant whose business has been principally that of advancing 
to farmers, the coming of the boll weevil has meant one year of practically no 
business aud the practical abandonment of the present advancing system on the 



BOLL WEEVIL. 7 

cotton crop. Afterwfivds a business of reduced volnnie on a cash basis has bocu 
built up witli satisfactory prolits. 

It can not bo (oo stronj^ly enipliasized that cotton prcjdiictioa on the basis of 
advances to tlie tenant has pi-oven uniformly disastrous to both partic"-:, but espe- 
cially to the merchant. 

7. That the desre.' of permanent disaster is de]ien<hMit upon the cooperatioii 
and determination with \vhifli the peojile of infested territory meet the situation. 

Where iteople have recognized a common problem and met the situation lirmly 
and with sane busin(>ss conservatism; where the merclianis have restricted ad- 
vances on the cott(!n crop as collateral and insisted on rii^id economy; where 
the farmers liave practieed this economy nnd diversified their aj^riculture, pro- 
ducing tirst a living from the farm, the general testimony is that the agricul- 
ture under such conditions ju-omises a readjustment on a sounder basis than 
existed before the coming of the weevil. Those who have prepared for the 
weevil's coming liave suffered little of linancial embarrassment. But for the 
)nan in debt, the improvident, and the inibelievei-, tlie bdll vvcevil has spelled a 
disaster almost inconceivable in its completeness. 

It is the purpose of this report to go into lircMtter detail as to the 
conditions to be expected and the remedies to be aiiplicd. 

The Boix Wei:ml. 

Since this report is concerned chiefly witli llie ao-ricuhural and 
economic aspects of the boll weevil, no attempt wiil be made to give 
a detailed or strictly scientific statement regai'ding its habits or life 
history.^ Only such information as will aid in a better understand- 
ing of the necessary methods of control will ])e attempted, and this 
in simple and popular form. However, the fads are taken mainly 
from Dr. Hunter's bulletin (Farmers' Bulleliii No. 512), and are 
to be relied upon. 

LIFE HISTORY. 

A full-grown. Mexican Ijoll weevil is from one-eighth inch to one- 
fourth inch in length. Its snout is about one-half its body length. 
In color it varies from light yellowish when young to a grayish 
broAvn or black when fully matured. 

There are so many insects resembling very closely the Mexican 
boll weevil that the only sure w'ay to determine vvliether an insect is 
a boll weevil or not is to send it to the Slate entomologist for exani- 
ination. If a cotton field shows an unusual number of falling 
squares, the bracts of which flare out instead of closing in closely 
upon the bud, it is a good indication that vveevils are present. The 
boll weevil lives through the winter only in the adult stages. With 
the first cold v/eathcr the weevils seek shelter under logs, in high 
grass and weeds, in old fences, and anywhere that Avill furnish pro- 
tection during hibernation. The moss that hangs from the trees 
in the low country is an ideal place of refuge. In. these sheltered 
positions the weevils try to live out the winter, but only about 3 
per cent survive. Since a conservative estimate of the ])ossible 
progeny of a single pair of weevils during the season is above 
8,000,000, it can readily be seen that only a small per cent of those 
that go into winter cjufirters need survive in order to give the 
farmer a large amount of trouble. 

1 Tliose interested in a scientific study of tlio weevil Rliould write to tlio TTulted States 
Doimvtment of Agrionlture for Bulletin No. 358, entitled " Study of the Mexican Cotton- 
Boll Weevil in the Mississippi Valley." 



8 



BOLL WEEVIL. 



With the coming of the early spring the \\ecvils begin to emerge 
and seek food after their long winter nap. The young cotton just 
appearing above ground is likely to be attacked. Unless the plants 
are strong and hardy, many of them will be killed, and this killing 
of young plants is the first indication of the season that weevils are 
present. The weevils suck also the tender shoots and young leaves 
of the cotton plants until the first squares appear. These constitute 
the favorite food of the weevil, and many of the squares are killed 
or are badl}^ deformed by injur}- to feeding punctures. 




Fig. 1.- 



-CoLton i-qiiaro Kljowing est; puncture of boll v.'cevil and '•flaring" of bracts. 
Niitural sizo. (Author's i!Ui'-<tration.) 



As soon as the young squares form, the female weevils also begin 
to puncture them and to lay eggs in the hole. The flaring of the 
leaflets of the square, which under ordinary conditions close tightly 
around the bud, is a symptom that there is an egg in the square. 

The average time for the egg to hatch out is about four days. The 
larva, which emerges from the egg in the form of a small white grub, 
feeds upon the inside of the square, and in seven or eight days is 
ready to change to the pupa stage. In another seven or eight days 
it is ready to emerge as a fully groAvn weevil and ready for its life's 
business, which is principally that of reproduction. The entire 
time from the laying of the egg until the emergence of the full-grown 



BOLL WEEVIL. 9 

Aveevil v;ii-ie.s witli (einperatui'c and limiiidity. but is usually three or 
iour Aveelcs or longer. 

During the earl}' gro^Ying season the weevils move about Itoui 
plant to jdant, but no general flight takes place unlil late in the sea- 
son,, probably n(jt earlier than the middle oi' August. The weevils, 
then sometimes move as far as 40 miles in short successive Higlits. 
As soon as the weather begins to get c;)l(l all adult weevils begin 
to seek shelter, so as to ]-)ass the winter in safety. iNIany of the eggs 
laid in the squares continue their de\elopment if sufficiently pro- 
tected f]-om the cold. The \Yee\ils tlius ])roduced hibernate during 
the winter and are I'cady to j(^in theii' jiarents in the campaign 
against the farmers the following spring. 

SI'HEAD OF ^^•KK\ IL. 

The ludl \v('c^\il's first invasion of tiu' I'niti'd. SlaU's was in 1802 
in the \icinily of Brownsville. Tex. Since that time it has advanced 
from year to year in practically concentric curves. There have been 
some interruptions due to tdimatic conditions, but an annual average 
advance of more than 50 miles per year has been made. After 20 
years of experience and study of its habits there can be no doubt but 
that it will include the entire State of South Carolina in its progress. 
As a matter fact, the weevil has practically crossed the State of 
Georgia, and e\(";i now uia}' be established in tlic southeastern coun-! 
ties of this State. 

Comparison of South Cauolixa and Louisiana. 

There ai'e many i)cople who admit that th(^ boll W(Hnil will I'each 
South Carolina, but maintain that conditions in this State arc dif- 
ferent from those in which the l)oll weevil has done its greatest 
damage. Careful study would indicate that such is not the case. 
There may be less damage in the Piedmont sections on account of 
the elevation and the lower winter temperatui'es, but over against 
these advantages must be ])ut the disadvantage of the heavy soil type 
and the large amount of hibernating shelter furnished by terraces 
and woodland. 

Except in the upper Piedjnoiit section, the situation in South 
Caroliiui will a])})i'oach very closely to that of central and northern 
Louisiana, where the recent investigation of boll-weevil conditions 
shows the most disastrous result-^. 

CHIEF CONTKOi.MNc; FACTOHS. 

The two most important climatic factors which affect the boll 
weevil are minimum winter temperature and maximum suimner rain- 
fall. Winter temperattnes have the effect of controlling the number 
of weevils which pass through the winter. Summer rainfall has a)i 
important effect upon the reiu-oduction of the weevils. A heavy 
sunnner rainfall is most favorable to a large hatch of the weevil eggs 
laid in the squares. A hot dry sunnner has the opposite effect. In 
Texas it is the low rainfall cluring spring and sunnner, especially 
in the western part of the State, which enables it to maintain its 
production of cotton. Such conditions do not apply in South Caro- 
lina and Louisiana, 

79121— S. Doc. 70L G4-2 2 



10 BOLL WEEVIL. 

COMrAKlSON OK ailNIIVIUM TEMrEIJATUKE. 

Ill a iiuip prepared by the Weather Bureau a line indicating mini- 
mum absolute temperatures of zero. runs across South Carolina from 
Marlboro to Aiken County, which is practically through the center 
of the State. This same line passes across the State of Louisiana 
about two-thirds the distance from the southern boundary. It Ls 
thus evident that throughout the most important cotton zone of 
South Carolina the winter conditions are similar to those in that 
portion of Louisiana where the production of cotton has been very 
greatly reduced. A typical parish in this section of Louisiana 
showed a falling off of from 21,000 bales to G,000 bales on account 
of the coming of the weevil. This reduction was due in part to the 
destructive effects of the insect itself and partly to the reduction of 
acreage occasioned. On the score of winter teuiperature there is no 
other couclusion })ut that South Carolina will suffer practically as 
did northern Louisiana. 

CO^[l'Ai;iSOX OF ltAINFALl> 

Till! important rainfall, so far as the boll weevil is concerned, is 
from about flune 1 to July 31, this being the period of fruiting. 
Weather l>ureau figures show an average precipitation for this 
period in South Carolina of 10.9 inches and Louisiana 1G.'2 inches. 
The total annual precipitation in Louisiana is about 53.4 inches as 
against 40.5 inches for South Carolina, but the excess in Louisiana 
occurs largely in Avinter, when it is of no especial importance in the 
matter of weevil control. The zone throughout the State of South 
Carolina in which the summer precipitation is IG inches or more 
comprises practically 75 per cent of the important cotton-producing 
counties of the State. This same zone of rainfall extends over the 
lower third of Louisiana, passing through the neighborhood of 
Baton Bouge. and includes parishes in which there has been a reduc- 
tion of at least 75 i)er cent of the cotton crop on account of the 
weevil. Here again we find conditions in South Carolina and Lou- 
isiana similar. 

( OXCLUSIONS. 

There ;uv se\eral factors other than minimum v>inter tempera- 
tures and maximum summer rainfall which have a bearing on the 
Aveevil problem. Among them is the length of the growing season — 
that is, the number of days between the last killing frost in the 
spring to the lirst killing frost in the fall. In this respect South 
Carolina is similar to the northern counties of Louisiana and the 
southern counties of Arkansas, where the damage has been mate- 
rial. The obvious conclusion from the above facts is that in South 
Carolina there will be a condition very similar to that in Louisiana 
and in Mississippi, with an added difficulty, viz, that the cotton 
crop in South Carolina can not be made without the use of con- 
siderable amount of commercial fertilizers,, while in Louisiana little 
or no fertilizers need be used. 

The above explanation is made in order that the people of South 
Carolina may not feel that there are any special conditions of soil 
or climate that can be expected to make the boll-weevil problem in 



BOLL WEEVIL, 11 

this State less serious than it has been in other State.-;. As a matter 
of fact, when the fertilizer situation is considered, Gcori>ia and 
South Carolina are liable to suffer jireatcr loss than any other States 
thus far invaded. In South Carolina an additional danger Jies in 
the attraction which the cotton mills hold out to the family of the 
small farmer. 

■METHODS or ( ONTHOL. . 

Through heat and sunshines, ants, insect parasites, birds, and the 
crushing effect of the injured square on the eggs and larva nature 
keeps up its warfare against the. boll weevil. 

The only artificial means of controlling the boll weevil are found 
in cultural methods. The weevils can not be exterminated. The 
only hope lies in reducing their number to the point v.liere injury 
to <:he cotton crop Avill be a minimum. ' 

Technical in.vestigations are still under way, but no promise can 
be made of methods of control more satisfactory than the cultural 
methods now advocated by the United States Department of Agri- 
culture. All attempts to kill the weevil by poisons have thus far 
proven impracticable or unprofitable on a commercial scale. 

Effects of tiif. Boll WEEviii, 

EFFECT ON' COTTON ritODDCTION. 

• Of the disastrous effect r>f the boll weevil on cotton production 
there can be no question. 

Many have cited the fact that Texas now produces nu)re cotton 
than ever before to prove that the boll weevil is not really the menace 
that some believe it to be. However, the explanation in the case of 
Texas is found in the dry, hot climate; the large area of prairie land 
affording little winter shelter to the weevil; the severe winters in 
the western and northwestern portions of the State; and the gradu- 
ally increasing acreage, most of wdiich has been in that part of the 
State least favorable to the multiplication of the boll weevil. In 1900 
Texas was planting 7,011,000 acres and producing 3,43S,o8C> bales of 
cotton. In 1914: the average had increased to 11,921,000 acres and 
the crop to 4,592,112 bales. An analysis of the Texas situation by 
counties shows that the boll weevil seriously reduced the crop in 
those counties which were in cotton before the weevil appeared. 

In Louisiana where the acreage remained practically the same dur- 
ing the same 14-year period the cotton production fell from 0.55 bale 
per acre to 0.34 bale per acre, and from a total of 705,7G7 bales to 
449,458 bales. In East Feliciana Parish, a section which in elevati^on 
and summer rainfall corresponds exactly to central South Carolina, 
the ])roduction in 1902 was 29,549 bales; in 1915, 2,830 bales. In the 
adjoining parish of East Baton Ivouge the production in 1908 was 
27^804 bales and in 1915 was 1,844 bales. In Madison Parish the pro- 
duction in 1902 was 21,844 bales; in 1915, 3,892 bales. 

These figures prove more eloquently than can any argument the 
net results of the boll-weevil invasion on cotton ])roduction. 

However, there is a bright side of this Louisiana picture, for while 
the cotton crop of the State was greatly reduced, the total value of 



12 BOLL WEEVIL. 

all crops produced in the State greatly increased. This is shown by 
the I'olloAving ligures, which ar^ taken from Dr. Hunter's compila- 
tions: For the four years prior to the invasion by the boll weevil 
(1890 to 1902) the average value of all crops was $68,394,150 per 
year. For the first five years of infestation (1903 to 1907, inclusive) 
the average value Avas $88,770,272. For the next five years (1908 to 
1912, inclusive), during Avhich the effects of the weevil were most 
serious, the average was $78,111,000. During 1913 and 1914 the aver- 
age was $94,884,472. These figures teach the important lesson that 
while the boll weevil may reduce the cotton yield of a State, it does 
not necessarily reduce its ability to produce equal and even greater 
wealth. 

EFFECT ON OIL ]\[ILLS AND GINNEMES. 

No industries in the State are more seriously threatened by tlie 
coming of the Aveevil than are the cotton oil mills and ginneries. It 
will be interesting to note the effects of the boll weevil on these indus- 
tries in several States where the boll weevil has been present for a 
number of years. 

In 1900 there were 2,070 operating ginneries in Louisiana and 149 
idle. In 1915 there were only 1,086 operating ginneries and 351 idle. 
During this period, therefore, 788 ginneries entirely disappeared. 
Putting the average value of a ginnery at $2,500, the loss in ginneries 
alone to the State of Louisiana was $1,960,000. In 1906 there Avere 
25 oil mills in x)peration. This year there are only 14, shoAving 11 
mills either idle or abandoned. The a\orage value of an oil mill 
is about $30,000. making a total loss on ginneries and oil mills of 
$2,290,000. 

In Mississippi in 1906 there Avere ;),780 active ginneries and 372 
idle. In 1915 there Avere only 2,204 active ginneries and 534 idle. 
During this same period, therefore, in Mississippi, 1,414 ginneries 
disappeared, entailing a loss to the State of $3,535,000. In the same 
State there Avere 84 oil mills before the advent of the boll Aveevil, 
and this year there are only 54 operating, shoAving 30 oil mills 
abandoned or destro.yed. The total loss on ginneries and oil mills in 
Mississipjn Avas ai)proximately $4,435,000. 

In South (^arolina there are 00 oil mills, oAvned by local capital. 
These mills crush one-fourth of the seed produced in the State. 
The other three-fourths is bought and crushed by corporations, such 
as the Cotton Oil Co., the Buckeye Cotton Oil Co., and the Union 
Seed & Fertilizer Co. These (M)r])orations own large mills an<l can 
})etter tide over a bad situation. The small mills owned by South 
Carolinians do not occupy such a position. 

So far as the oil mills are concerned, therefore, the matter resoh'es 
itself into the pro))osition of raAV material. The mills are Avorthless 
unless they have something to Avork, and if the boll Aveevil materially 
reduces the raAv material available some other seed that it is possible 
to Avork in oil mills must l)e provided. OtlierAvise there Avill result 
the same series of failures and abandonments that have taken place 
in the States cited. Peanuts, and especially soy beans, offer the best 
solution. The soy bean can be groAvn successfully in all parts of 
South Carolina, especially in the Coastal plain section. Peanuts can 
be grown on many light soils in this State. Therefore every effort 



BOLL WEEVIL. 13' 

should be made to educate the farmer to begin now to grow in a 
small way peanuts and particularly soy beans. Such a beginning 
could be greatly stimulated if the cotton-oil mills would offer prizes 
for the best acres of soy beans. These premiums should be large 
enough to create considerable interest in the State. A liberal buying 
policy should also characterize the beginnings of the really important 
branch of agricultural production. 

So far as the ginneries are concerned, there must necessarily result 
considerable loss, inasmuch as substitute raw materials can not be 
supplied, as in the case of oil mills. While it will be many years 
before South Carolina makes suflicient corn to supply its own needs, 
there are man}- individual farmers who make a surplus of corn. 
Machinery for husking, shelling, and sacking corn, oats, and other 
grains, could bo added to the e(|uipment of ginneries. In this way 
at least a part of the machinery could l)e utilized to some advantage. 

EFFECT ON BANKS AND ADVANCE SIKIJCirANTS. 

In States invaded by the boll weevil the banlcs and advance mer- 
chants were among the iirst to realize the economic danger and 
among the first to suffer. The diminislied value of the cotton cro^) 
as a collateral and th.e serious depreciation in land values, the basis 
of a large amount of credit, caused considerable financial demoraliza- 
tion, and in so4i\e cases the added disaster of credit withdr.nval 
ensued. 

In the main, however, bankers have shown themselves thorougrJy 
posted and able both to protect and assist their customers. By 
limiting credit, insisting on diversification, and recognizing farm 
products other than cotton as satisfactory collateral, the situation 
during the first few years of boll- weevil infestation has been consid- 
erably relieved. 

In some cases banks suffered severe losses, but bank failures \vcre 
remarkably few. Banks and other creditors Avho refrained from a 
policy of foreclosure and continued to furnish restricted credit to 
their customers fared best. Some who adopted the policy of fore- 
closure found themselves with a large amount of depreciated ]>!'op- 
erty, difficult to dispose of, on their hands. 

During the second j'ear of boll-weevil infestation bank deposits 
were but slightly affected, but for the following two or three years 
deposits were greatly reduced. It usually took banks from fiVe to 
six years after the arrival of the weevil to gain what had been lost 
in the way of deposits. 

The first effect of the boll weevil is to increase the bankers" re- 
sponsibility to the public. The entire withdrawal of credit would 
be much more disastrous than the effect of the weevil itself. At the 
same time, extravagant use of credit would be bad business for the 
banks and a mistaken kindness to the farmers. . 

The general experience of advance merchants was that they con- 
tinued making advances on the cotton crop one year too long, with 
disastrous effects. The general testimony was that the second year 
of boll-weevil infestation was a very lean year, with practically no 
advance business and only a small cash trade. In the course of two 
or three years the volume of business increased, and although smaller 



14 BOLL "VVEEVIL. 

than when conducted on an advance basis was more satisfactory, 
both as to collections and profits. The condition of the small farmer 
in those States where the advance system has ])ractically disap- 
peared is much better than it was before. The coming of the boll 
weevil will put an end to the present advance system of the cotton 
crop now so generally ]>racticed in South Carolina. 

It would be well if every mercliant and banker would require as a 
fundamental condition to extending credit tliat the faruier raise, first 
of all, his living on the farm. 

ErFECT OX LAIiOH. 

In Louisiana and ]\Iississip])i a large numl)er of the j'Ouug and 
able-bodied negroes left the State to seek employment elsewhere. 
This emigration was chiefiy due to inability to get credit, and there- 
fore inability to make a living under the tenant system of farming. 
There seemed to be a general lack of appreciation on the part of 
the white people of the importance of retaining their negro labor. 
With no capital and no credit on Avhich to make another crop nothing 
remained for many negro farmers but to move away and seek em- 
ployment in other agricultural sections, or in other lines of busi- 
ness. Many went to Oklahoma and western Texas, and carloads 
of them were moved north to supply the deficit in Italian laborers 
due to the European war. Throughout Louisiana and Mississippi 
labor agents, sometimes cleverly disguised, planned these movements 
of the negroes and furnished the necessary money to transport them. 

The white people of the State should make the situation clear to 
the negroes and by helpfulness and consideration seek to retain them 
against the enticements which Avill undoubtedly be oifered in this 
State, as it has been in other States. 

EFFECT ON LAND VALUES. 

In every section where the boll weevil has become active the values 
of farm lands have been greatly depressed. In many of the richest 
cotton sections of Louisiana the land has been sold at a low price 
for raising live stock. Usually the low'est level in land values is 
reached during the second and third years of infestation, after which 
there is a gradual recovery. The greatest danger is that farmers will 
become discouraged when unable to raise cotton successfully and 
dispose of their holdings. This is especially to be feared in those 
sections of the State where cotton mills oft'er remunerative work for 
all grown members of the family. Often after lands have changed 
hands a new system of agriculture, Avith diversification as its key- 
note, lias restored their value. It is a sad fact that in the boll-weevil 
sections much of the land is no longer in possession of the origmal 
ov.'ners. 

Our people should realize that land is the ultimate basis of value, 
and that it is only necessary to handle it properly to make it valuable, 
regardless of the type of agriculture practiced. It is too often the 
case that in the transition from cotton planting to a diversified systeiii 
a new owner appears to reap the benefits of the change. 



boll weevil. 15 

Changes in Agricultural Mktiiods Duk to tii:: "W'khml. 

Under bolI-Aveevil conditions cotton can not be produced profitably 
on the old basis of supplying the tenant with provisions and equip- 
ment. The serious objection to the old credit basis is that it has 
encouraged the tenant system and has taken away the intelligent 
supervision of the landlord. As a result the soil has been depleted 
and much of it washed aAvay. 

The most successful farmers under boll-weevil conditions vill 
raise all provisions, keep out of debt, and cultivate cotton by im- 
proved methods on a restricted area of the best lands. That the 
one-'*rop system has failed in nearly every section of our country is 
evidenced by the povert,y of a large per cent of our agricultural 
people after 50 years under such a system. Our farmers should be 
made to understand that intelligent diversification and proper rota- 
tion of crops is sound economy and the best remcdj' for boll-weevil 
conditions. Under such conditions it is absolutely necessary that the 
cotton planter establish a system of rotation that vrill in a large 
measure keep up the supply of nitrogen. Cotton should always fol- 
low a summer legume, such as cowpeas, soy beans, or velvet beans. 
The effect of these legumes will be to force the cotton to early fruit- 
ing, and this is essential in fighting the boll weevil. 

The following rotation is recommended : 

First year: Cotton. 

Second year : Corn, with soy beans, cowpeas, or velvet beans. 

Thinl year: Grain — the grain to be cut oft' and the land to be 
planted in peas; the peas to be cut off for hay or turned under in the 
fall prepacatoiy to a second cotton crop. 

In addition to the crops mentioned in this rotation, many other 
crops should be grown. Where the soil tj'pes and climatic conditions 
are favorable and where suitable markets are accessible, tobacco, soy 
beans, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, canta- 
loupes, and various otlier truck crops can be profitably raised. There 
are many sections of our State v/hcre fruit grov ing can he profitably 
engaged in. 

To properly utilize all of the pi'oducts produced on the farm by 
the proper system of diversification, it is necessary to raise live stock. 
The keeping of live stock, especially dairy cattle, can be made a 
profitable occupation for the small farmer, especially those Avho do 
all of their own work. Eveiy farmer should raise his own mules. 
The raising of beef cattle is also profitable if land is cheap and suit- 
able pasturage can be had. The same is true of sheep. In the 
northern section of our State, where much of the land is too steep 
to cultivate, these side lines of farming should be found profitable. 

For the small farmer no farm of live stock is more ])rofitable than 
hogs. Pork can be produced cheaper in the South than in tlie 
North, especialh' where proper grazing crops are grown. 

More attention should be paid by our farmers to poultry, iu the 
Avay of having better breeds and giving them more intelligent care. 

Raising Cotton Under Boll Weevil Conditions. 

The problem of cotton production under boll weevil conditions 
resolves itself into hastening the growth of plants so as to insure a 



16 BOLL WEEVIL. 

large crop of bolls by the middle of July and certainly by tlie 1st of 
August. Infestation will likely Ije too great for any large number 
of squares formed after that time to survive. 

It has been demonstrated conclusively that cotton can be grown 
with fair success under boll weevil conditions, provided improved 
methods are followed and favorable weather conditions prevail. It 
will be Avell for the farmers of South Carolina to practice in advance 
of the boll weevil's coming those principles of scientific cultivation 
which would represent a good investment even were no boll weevils 
present. The following simple directions will accomplish the ])est 
results when the boll weevil reaches South Carolina, and with the 
exception of those processes particularly designed to destroy the 
weevil, and to prevent its multiplication should be practiced now as 
v^'ell as later. 

SOILS. 

Well drained sandy soils and sandy loams are warmer and there- 
fore preferable to clay and other heavy soil types in getting rapid 
growth in the early spring. The farmer should bear in mind that 
lie is fighting against time, and that no means should be neglected 
to give the plant a good start and keep it growing. 

PREPARATION. 

The land should be plowed early in the fall or winter and the seed 
Ijeds should be made early in the spring so that they will have ample 
time to settle before planting. Cotton comes up quicker and grows 
off better from a firm, well-settled bed than from a loose one. Just 
])revious to planting a weeder or Ii arrow should be run over the sur- 
face of the beds to break the crust. Quicker germination and rapid 
growth will be the result from the above methods. 

VARIETIES. 

Early fruiting varieties only should be used. Weevils seldom 
puncture half-grown bolls if there are squares available. No one 
variety is suitable to all soil types of the State; and each planter, 
liaving a good variety well suited to his soil and giving good yields, 
should begin now to make selections, with a view of obtaining an 
early maturing type. No result of plant breeding is so easy to 
accomplish as that of breeding cotton for early maturity. 

The following are some of the early maturing varieties that have 
l)een grown successfully under boU-Aveevil conditions: King, Simp- 
k'ins, Trice, Cook, Broadwell, Perry, Petway, Wannamaker's Cleve- 
land Big Boll, and Triumph. Early Big Boll Toole and Hope's 
Mexican Big Boll are early varieties which will probably be well 
suited for boll-weevil conditions. Among the long-staple varieties 
Express, Columbia, and Webber 49 are the earliest. 

The farmers of each community should decide on some one variety 
or type of cotton well suited to their conditions and agree to grow 
this variety, so as to prevent mixing of the seeds at the gins. 

On wilt-infested lands it will be necessary to use only those varie- 
ties immune from wilt. Early maturing types of these varieties can 
be developed by selection on wilt-infested lands. 



J30LL WEEVIL. 17 

LOC'ATIOX OF FIELDS. 

As far as practicable cotton fields should be located in the open, 
av.'ay from woods or other good harboring places for weevils. Cot- 
ton should not be planted two years in succession in tlie same field. 

TLAXTINC!. 

Cotton should be planted as early as possible after all danger of 
killing frost is over and the ground warm enough to insure quick 
germination and rapid growth. It is a distinct advantage when 
practicable to delint the seed, because such seed will germinate 
quicker under tlie same conditions than will undelinted seed. 

SPACING . 

The width of rov\' and distance between plants in the row should 
be regidated according to the fertility of the land. 'U'hatever spacing 
now produces the best crop should usually'' be retained. If unj 
change at all is made, a slight reduction of the distance between 
plants in the rovv's so as to give a greater number of plants \)ov acre 
may prove advisable. 

FERTILIZATiOX. 

Stable manure is the best of fertilizers, but only a i- mall amount of 
it is produced on the average farm in the State. A practice should 
be made of turning under green crops, such as cowpeas, rye, etc. 
Under boll-weevil conditions it is very necessary to maintain an 
ample supply of organic matter in the soil, both for its fertilizing 
and warming effects. A liberal application of commercial fertilizers 
is also necessaiy, and this fertilizer should contain a large pev cent 
of acid phosphate, which ingredient hastens the maturing of cottoiL 
A liberal amount of ammonia to quicken growth should also be used. 
The main fertilization should be applied under the cotton, and then 
as soon as the young plants are up a small amount of nitrate of soda 
at the rate of 25 to 50 pounds per acre should be applied. Nitrate of 
soda is highly soluble form and will cause the young plants to grow 
off rapidly. Another application of nitrate of soda at the rate of 
from 75 to 100 pounds per acre should bo applied v>hon the firr-t 
squares appear. 

CULTI\'AT10X. 

From the very start cotton should be cultivated intensively, so as 
to destroy weeds and grass and to maintain a dust mulch to prevent 
the loss of moisture. This dust mulch also aids materially in the 
destruction of the young weevils inside of the squares. These 
squares, v.hen they fall on this dust mulch, especially if there is ample 
sunshine, soon dry out, and the weevil contents die with them. 
Every precaution .should be taken to avoid loss of the first fruit by 
shedding. To that end cultivation should be shallow and frequent. 
and great care should be observed not to tear the roots of the plant. 
It can not be emphasized too often that the first fruit means the crop 
under boU-Aveevil conditions. It is a practical certaint}' that the 
weevils Avill take all of the late crop. 



!~i8 BOLL weevil; 



PICKING UP SQUARES. 



It will be found very helpful to pick up the first infested squares 
which fall and even to pick off the weevil from the young cotton 
plants before squares appear. Hovv'ever, this may not always be 
practicable on lar2;e areas on account of scarcity of labor. Members 
of the family or Negro children can frequently do this work. All 
squares and Aveevil so gathered should be destroyed. If rainy 
weather in June and July makes it impossible to keep up intensive 
cultivation, an extra effort should be made to keep down Aveevil in- 
festation by caref idly picldng the punctured squares every week dur- 
ing this period until cultivation can be resumed. 

DESTRUCTION OF STALKS. 

Remembering that the weevils which survive the winter nre the 
parents of the destructive army of the next year, every effort should 
be made to reduce the number of those which go into hibernation 
with the coming of cold weather. It is the number of adult weevils 
alive when the time for hibernation comes that counts. It is, there- 
fore, best to destroy the green cotton stalks just as soon as the cot- 
ton is harvested. This can be accomplished by plowing up the stalks 
and burning them or by plowing them under. Either of these pro- 
cesses if done in time will destroy a large number of adults and 
weevils in process of development, and will also, through lack of 
food, cause many remaining adults to migrate or perish. The ell'ec- 
tiveness of stalk destruction depends on the length of time before 
frost that it is accomplished. 

Having followed all of the above directions there will still remain 
these factors over which the farmer has no control. A rainy June 
and July may make it impossible for him to do his full part and he 
will have to suffer in consequence. Under boll-weevil conditions cot- 
ton is no longer the certain crop that it once was, and no farmer is 
any longer safe in making it his sole reliance. Only by raising his 
food supplies for man and beast and making other crops for sale can 
he be secured against disaster. 

Conclusions. 

Having covered as best it could in limited space the general aspect 
of the bull weevil question, the commission begs leave to nuikc the 
following observations, suggestions, and recommendations: 

1. Tlie conimission regards as nn imperative first conditiou that every farmer, 
\vlK'tlier ail owner or a tenant, shall at once begin or continue to raise all pos- 
sil)le food supplies for the family and feed for all farm animals. Tliis first 
condition having been fulfilled, in view of the high price of cotton likely to 
prevail next year a well as this, and the pressing necessity to get free of debt 
and have some capital with which to purchase live stock, build fence, aud other- 
wise prepare for the coming of the weevil, the commission recommends that 
the farmers of South Carolina plant all suitable remaining acreage in cotton 
and that the crop be highly fertilized and intensively cultivated, in order to 
produce a maximum yield with a maximum profit. 

2. The commission can not too strongly urge upon farmers the need of 
economy in every line to the end that some capital may be put aside with 



BOLL WEEVIL. 19 

which to readjust agriculture to meet new conditions. All i>os.sii)k> food and 
feed supplies, including meat, dairy, and poultry producL-i, should bo raised on 
the farm. The surplus in every line should be sold to the best advantage and 
the money saved. Nothing should be purchased that can await a more conven- 
ient season. 

3. The commissit)n respectfully submits that the business man and not the 
farmers must be responsible for the creation of markets for products other 
than cotton ; and recognizing the intimate relation between uniformity and 
quality in production and successful and profitable marketing, suggests hearty, 
intelligent and patriotic cooperation between chambers of commerce and the 
other business organizations and the farmers of the surrounding territory. All 
such business relations and residting enterprises should bo planned on censerva- 
tive lines, in order that there may result neitlun" disappointment on tlie one 
hand nor failure on the other. 

4. Comparable only with the disaster due to the boll weevil itself would be the 
withdrawal of credit to the farmers by merchants and bankers. The commission 
would respectfully recommend tliat there be such a continuation of credit as 
sound business considerations Vv'ill permit, and that live stock and other farm 
commodities be made the basis of credit as v/ell as cotton. At no time in the 
history of the State will bankers and merchants (who, by virtue of their busi- 
ness relations are closer to the farmers than any other class of citizens) have 
so great an opportunity to be of service and the chance to exercise so wise a 
leadership as in the coming boll-weevil crisis. 

The commission suggests that in the near future the merchants and bankers 
through their State organizations discuss, determine, and announce the policies 
they will follow under boll-weevil conditions, so that farmers mny make their 
plans accordingly. 

5. The commission suggests that the farmers of the Stale seek in insure 
themselves against the wholesale loss of labor which has occurred in other 
States. To that end the landlords or employers should make plain to laborers 
and tenants that they will bo provided for if they will remain, and will be given 
an opportunity to raise their food supplies. It would be wise as a part of this 
program to a(lvai;ce to each franily at least one brood sow and a milk cow. 
Such a policy will be well worth while if it serves to hold the labor on the farm 
during the first two or three years of the boll-weevil invasion, when the tempta- 
tion and inducements to migrate from the State will be at a maximum. 

G. Despite hardships and serious depreciation in values, the commission 
strongly urges upon landowners not to sacrifice their holdings. Freedom from 
debt, when the weevil reaches the State, is the first consideration of safety, 
and every farmer in debt should make a special effort in the next two years of 
grace to pay off mortgages on his land. 

In this connection the commission would dii'cct the attention of farmers to 
the recently established Federal land banks, and urge the formation of farm- 
loan associations through which money can be obtained cheaply on long-term 
paper. 

7. The commission suggests that cotton oil mills should begin at once to foster 
the growing of peanuts and soy beans by offering prizes and ])y a liberal buying 
policy; and that ginneries should equip to husk, .skell, clean, and sack corn, and 
clean and sack oats and other grains. 

S. The intensive cultivation of cotton and of many of the substitute crops, 
especially truck crops, will still require a largo amount of commerciai fertiliz- 
ers. It is the opinion of the commission that the fertilizer industries will not 
suffer materially under boll-weevil conditions if cotton prices remain high and 
proper care is taken in extending credit. Fertilizer companies can materially 
aid in the policy of diversification by a sympathetic attitude toward the chang- 
ing conditions and by cooperating with the county demonstration agents and 
farmers' organizations and individual farmers. 

9. Recognizing that in the cooperative demonstration and extension v.'ork 
organized and conducted jointly by Clemson College and the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture there exists an efficient State-wide organization of 
specialists and agents prepared to do effective work in every county, the com- 
mission urges this agency to take the lead in carrying on a campaign for pre- 
paredness against the coming of the boll weevil. It is not too soon to begin 
this work in every county in the State, but there is special need of immediate 
action in the counties bordering the Georgia line. 

The people are urged to utilize to the utmost the resources of llieir agricul- 
tural college, the State department of agriculture, the bulletins of the Federal 



20 BOLL WEEVIL. 

Dopnrlnient of Agrirultiirc, and all other agencies (liat can be of assi.slauce in 
the coming campaign. 

There is great necessity for concerted action all along the line, because the 
weevil will prove itself to be not only the farmers' burden, but an economic 
problem connnou to all classes and all lines of business in the State. 

10. In conclusion the conunission would urge the wisdom of conservatism, 
even in diversification. It is best to make small beginnings along new lines 
rather than risk too much. In the time remaining before the boll weevil be- 
comes established in this State our farmers should learn on a small scale how 
to care for live stock and how to produce and market substitute crops. If 
this is not done, discouragements and serious loss may be the only result of 
diversification. 

That they attempted to I'aise one crop of cotton too many is the general testi- 
mony of farmers in the infested territory. It was the last attempt that ruined 
many. The commission hopes that the farmers of South Carolina may be 
wiser than their brothers in Louisiana and Mississippi, and by prudent for<^- 
sight find it not necessary to carry once too often all their eggs in one basket. 



Eespectfiilly, 
Columbia, S. C, Novemljcr 23, 191G. 

o 



RiciiAED I. Ma]snixo, Chairman. 



